Film Festivals and You

So you now have a production team, you've created a couple quality productions and posted them on YouTube, but is that enough for you? Maybe you want some more connections directly involved in the field? Here's my piece of advice for producers to jump to the next level, get a great amount of opinions on your work, and meet a lot of new connections:

Poster for this years festival

FILM FESTIVALS! Yes, it sounds bold and an unrealistic goal for a new production team, but in reality it is not. There are thousands of festivals out there looking for new producers to submit their awesome films! Submitting your work to festivals is a great way to get a lot of great exposure and quality discussions about your work and what you could possibly do better in the future. The safer route is to aim for festivals that are local and new. Festivals who just recently started are more likely to accept a wider variety of films from new producers.

In October of 2011, one of our films, "Notes of Life," was accepted into the international film festival in our town. It was one of the first productions we had ever produced and it won an award. Our production hit the local newspapers and brought a lot of discussion from those who were already in the field. Trust me! It is worth it to submit! You never know, getting into a local festival may bring your production group to the next level of recognition.

Lead actor, AJ Niakaros (left), Director, Alex Van Thong (middle), Lead actress, Jamie Lee Janko (right)

Being a part of that festival was a wonderful experience for Wild Goose Chase Productions and we will definitely continue to submit to other festivals in the years to come!

Do you have a film festival story? Share it in the comments below! My name in Alex Van Thong and this is my Filmmaker's Journey...